Apostle restored

The Roman Catholic Lectionary today commemorates the feast of Mary Magdalene. This person has occupied the interest of believers for a variety of reasons. Soline Humbert writes of the treatment of the story of this special woman from the perspective of how the official recounting and celebration of her life was so focused on repentance of a prostitute and sinner who likely was not this Mary at all. The culture of the time cannot help be reflected in the way we interpret and celebrate the important people of our spiritual heritage. Kyle Shinseki SJ moves from the impression we have of the “sinful woman” to bring to us the sense of spiritual darkness which may have accompanied this woman as she finds the empty tomb in the hours before the disk of the sun is visible on Easter morning. The confusion and the abandonment which we, both male and female believers, encounter at times is addressed according to Kyle Shinseki SJ by St Ignatius Loyola with advice to be attentive during such times of spiritual darkness so that we do not become overly focused on our sins and lose sight of God’s healing power. Friar Jude Winkler comments that the Prophet Micah expresses the overly generous compassion and healing nature of God in words that convey the complete removal of our guilt and the return to a life even more full of the gracious Presence of God than we have previously known. The setting of the Gospel from John in the garden which Friar Jude suggests is the Garden of Eden tells of that restoration to the time when the differences between tribes, genders and created beings had not been used by humanity to create disparity and disenfranchisement. The Lord is inviting us to return to the peace of Eden as we ponder the message from Mary, the apostle to the apostles, that the Good Shepherd continues to lead and guide His flock.